Garment hangers



y 11, 1967 E. A. BORKOVVSKI 3,

GARMENT HANGERS Filed Dec. 24, 1962 United States Patent Ofilice 3,336,453 Patented July 11, 1967 3,330,453 GARMENT HANGERS Edwin A. Borkowski, 18 Jackson Drive, Raynham, Mass. 01767 Filed Dec. 24, 1962, Ser. No. 245,829 Claims. (U. 22395) This invention relates to garment hangers, and especially to trouser hangers of the type in which the trousers are suspended by the bottoms of the legs in inverted relation by means adapted to be entered between the cufi and the leg portion of each leg of the trousers, supporting the garment by surfaces which engage the transverse crease formed between each leg and its cuff, and simultaneously stretching each cufi transversely of the leg by surfaces entered between each cuff and its trouser leg to engage with the vertical creases of the cuff, whereby to maintain the two sides of each cuff in flat and parallel relation and maintain or set these vertical creases at front and back of the cuff. By supporting the garment from Within the fold between the cuff and the leg, the trousers cannot slip from the hanger and fall, as happens when merely supported frictionally from within the legs.

The force needed to stretch the cuffs transversely of the legs has in certain prior structures been derived by form ing or mounting the supporting surfaces on the free ends of radius arms pivoted or otherwise joined together and to the hangers supporting hook and diverging upwardly, so that the garments own weight thus applied depresses these garment-supporting ends and creates a toggle action of the arms forcing these ends away from each other. This principle has the advantage of simplifying the structure required, and also in the pivoted forms automatically adapts the hanger to a wide range of trouser leg widths.

These prior structures have left room for improvement. One drawback has been that the surface which enter each cuff to bear the Weight of the trousers distort the profile of the bottom of the cuff, the fold line at the bottom of the leg, because they do not conform to the initial desired straight-line extent of the crease they engage, Within the cuff. This is true not only where the supporting surfaces are rounded or pointed, but also even when given a substantal extent in the line of the crease, in the effort to prevent this. In this latter case, in all prior structures known to me, these prolonged surfaces are in alignment only at one of the many different spaced relations they must assume in use on trousers of varied and unpredictable width of bottoms. That is, these prolonged supporting surfaces for a trouser leg change their angular relation to each other in a vertical plane, as the radius arms vary their angular relation to each other in accommodating trousers of different widths of bottoms. They are in the desired alignment with each other, and hence with the crease, only for one Width of bottoms. Humps or bulges are thus impressed into the profile of the cuff bottoms. The same distortion of the profile also results in these prior structures when the trousers are unevenly weighted, as by articles of Weight left in pockets of the trousers, whereby the center of mass of the garment is off the median line of the legs and the cuff bottoms are higher at one end than at the other, thus pulling the prolonged supporting surfaces out of line with each other, even if initial- 1y aligned, and out of conformity with the crease.

Other shortcomings of prior structures include the relative complexity of their construction which render them hard to make and assemble and thus too costly for the function they perform; and the difficulty of applying them to the garment. Also, many of them are restricted by their nature to use on trousers alone, and make no provision for adaptation to supporting skirts, coats, blouses and other garments.

It is the object of the present invention to provide a novel and improved garment hanger which will overcome these and other disadvantages of prior structures.

To this end, the present invention provides a hanger for trousers and other garments of the type referred to hereinabove in which novel construction the supporting surfaces remain ever aligned with each other and with the transverse crease of each cuff of the trousers, regardless of the width of the trouser legs or the slant of the cuff bottom folds owing to heavy articles left in the pockets. The toggle action which stretche the cuffs into flat and parallel relation automatically increases the intensity of the stretch as required with increases in the weight of the fabrics comprising the different garments, While the surfaces which do the stretching stay always at right angle to the bottom folds.

The permanent alignment of the supporting surfaces for each leg of the trousers is attained by mounting them pivotally on the free ends of the radius arms and linking such supporting surfaces together by extensions respectively rigidly connected to each of these surfaces which enter a cuff, the extensions being telescopically or otherwise slidably interconnected to maintain the supporting surfaces ever in mutual alignment regardless of their longitudinally spaced relation to each other. By forming the cuff-stretching surfaces integrally or in permanently fixed right-angle relation to the respective supporting surfaces thus aligned, these stretching element are maintained ever parallel to each other within the cuff and to the front and back creases of the leg and cuff of the trousers.

By resolving the construction into duplicate inverted triangles suspended by their apices and having telescopically extensible bases, the whole structure in its simplest form can be easily and cheaply constructed of only four length of heavy wire.

Various types of supporting elements are capable of being used on the improved hanger, including coat hangers, spring clips and pressure pads, thereby adapting it to coats, blouses, and skirts as well as trousers.

Other objects of the invention, and the manner of their attainment are set forth hereinafter.

An illustrative embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which,

FIG. 1 is a perspective side view of a preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a similar view of a combined coat and trouser hanger embodying the inventive principle.

FIGS. 3 to 6 show various additional or alternative forms of garment-holding means for use on the improved hanger.

The form of FIG. 1, showing the device in its pendent Working position, is for the support of trousers alone, and in its preferred form is made wholly of heavy Wire elements bent to shape and pivotally and slidably interconnected. The support for each leg of the inverted trousers (not shown) is provided by a pair of cooperating longitudinally aligned and relatively movable surfaces 1 which are entered within the fold of a cuff that is included between the inward surface of the cuff and the side of the trouser leg that confronts the opposite leg. These surfaces t 3 1 are rectilinear and of prolonged extent to distribute the load of the trouser weight over a substantial extent of the length of the cuff. At the outward end of each surface 1 the component wire is bent downward at right angles to form the vertical cuff-stretching surfaces 3 adapted to engage the vertical crease within each end of the cuff, which crease registers with the front or rear crease of the trouser leg as conventionally pressed. Preferably, as shown in FIG. 1, the supporting and stretching surfaces 1, 3, for the corresponding ends of both cuffs are made of a single integral length of wire, and are thus maintained in spaced relation inparallel vertical planes by the portion 5 of the component wire, formed by bending the wire at right angles to they portions 3 to extend horizontally between them in the plane through the surfaces 3. These transvers'ely extending horizontal portions 5 respectively form pivots for the free ends of two pairs of radius'arms 7, of

equallength, which are hinged together at their lower ends at 9 and diverge upwardly and outwardly.

The four end portions 11, 13, of the two lengths each forming a pair of supporting surfaces 1, 3, extend inwardly in parallel relation in the respective vertical planes of their supporting surfaces 1, each extension 11 of the right-hand pair of supports overlapping the corresponding extension 13 of the left-hand supports and being connected thereto in slidable or telescoping manner by eyes 15 surrounding the shank of its overlapping contiguous length 11,13. The two members thus slidably connected are of identical construction, thus making for economy of man-- ufactur'e, and are combined symmetrically, i.e., in reversed relation. 7 e

The two pairs of radius arms 7 are identical, each being formed of a preferably continuous length of heavy wire having its end portions bent reversely into substantially parallel relation, with the material at the bend shaped into eyes 17 Wrapped around the horizontal portion 5 of {its associated cuff-supporting and stretching member, the

intervening length which parallels the portion 5 serving to hold the eyes respectively against the adjacent sides of the portion 3, thereby imparting stability to the cuffengaging surfaces 1, 3, and mainaining them upright in a vertical planes under the burden of the trousers. The lower respectively entered between the cuff and'the adjacent inward exposed face of the leg, the weight of the trouser legs when transmitted to the hook 25 via pivot 9 depresses the telescopically connected members and the outer ends of radius arm 7, the toggle action of the radius arms as the angle between them increases creating a horizontally directed resultant force which moves the supporting members horizontally in opposite directions and causes the upright surfaces 3 to stretch the cuffs transversely of the trouser legs. Such force, being created by the weight of the trousers, is automatically directly proportionate to the weight of the trousers and the width of the trouser bottomsJWithin the range of the device, the hanger of course adjusts itself to whatever the width of the trouser bottoms may be.

, Since the supporting surfaces 1 for each trouser leg are rigid with the respective end portions 11, 13, of the two slidable members, and these end portions 11, 13, are ever maintained in parallel relation where they overlap and are,

contiguous with each other, by means of the eyes 15, the supporting surfaces 1 for each trouser leg always maintain their longitudinal alignment with each other and hence their conformity with the fold-line within the cuff, thus avoiding distortion of such fold-line. Likewise, the vertical cuff-stretching surfaces 3, being rigid with the surfaces 1,

always maintain their rectangular relation to the latter and to the fold-line of the cuff, thus shaping or maintaining two identical members 31 are formed and telescopically interconnected by eyes 32 just as in FIG. 1, except that the portion 33 at mid-length of each component wire element which spaces the trouser-supporting and cuff-stretching surfaces 35, 37, apart and holds them upright in parallel relation, is coiled into helices 39 adjacent each portion 7 37 through which helices extends a straight length of wire 41 forming a pivot. This pivot is attached, preferably welded, at mid-length to the end of a radius arm 43 provided at its oppositeend with an eye 45 occupying a slot 47 in the under side of each arm 49 of a coat hanger 51 preferably of conventional wooden type provided with a hook 53, the eyes 45 being pivotally secured in the slot by pivot pins 55. The principle of operation is the same as that described, the supporting surfaces 35 for each cuff being maintained ever in alignment and the stretching surfaces 37 always perpendicular to the common line of surfaces 35, the main difference being-that the radius arm 43 thus arranged lack the toggle action of the first form, and thus effect a lesser stretching action on the cuffs. The

narrowness of slot 47 prevents the device from overturning.

FIG. 3 shows a form related to FIG. 2, which provides for use alternatively either with mens trousers having cuffs of womens skirts, or with trousers devoidv of cuffs. Garment holders 61 in the form of twojawed spring-operated clips such as shown in FIG. 4 are mounted at their hinge 63 upon straight lengths of heavy wire 65 slidably interconnected in parallel overlapping re1a tion by eyes 67, the respective wires 65 having at their ends transverse pivot elements 68 around which are coiled at 69 the free ends of heavy wires which are reversely bent to form eyes at 71 and twined together as shown at 73. Eyes 71 are received in narrow slots 75 in the wooden arms of a coat hanger 76 such as that of FIG. 2, and retained therein by pivot pins 77, to form the radius arms 70.

The rectangular tangs 79 of the jaws of the clips 61 enter the cuff folds of a pair of trousers,-the top edges supporting the weight of the garment and the vertical outward edges stretching the cuffs flat, as before explained.

To keep the cooperating pairs of the surfaces in the same I horizontal and vertical planes, as sought herein,.one jaw of each clip is made rigid with its supporting wire 65, as by welding, whereby the clips are held from overturning and are drawn away from each other by the descent of the lower ends of the'radius arm 7%, when the loaded hanger is hung up by its books such as.53.

As is obvious, when 'a skirt or a pair of womens slacks V is to be supported by the hanger, the clips 61 are opened in usual manner by pressing the two tangs 79 of each clip together against the resistance of spring 81 to open the jaws at the lower end of the clip, which is then used to clamp and hold the doubled waistband of the'skirt' or slacks. The weight of the garmet through depressing the adjacent ends of the radius arms 70 causes the clips to move apart and thus stretch the waistband flat. The paral 83. There, two radius arms 85 of heavy wire and of equal length are pivoted in spaced and parallel relation at 87 within a narrow slot 89 in the under side of each arm of the coat hanger. The other ends of the radius arms are pivotally connected to pintles 91 spaced the same distance apart as pivots 87 and fixed in the two parallel wings of a U-shaped sheet metal member 93. Each wing is entered within the cuff fold to support the trousers by its horizontal top surface and to stretch the cuff widthwise by its vertical surface that is toward the proximate arm of the coat hanger, a duplicate cooperating structure (not shown) being of course provided on the other arm of the coat hanger. Though this form lacks the feature of holding the two top supporting surfaces occupying a cuff in longitudinal alignment with each other, they are maintained in substantial alignment by the cuff fold without materially distorting the bottom line of the trouser leg so long as the trousers hang vertically in balance in the absence of off-center loading of the pockets. The parallel bar linkage afforded by the radius arms 85 maintains the trouser-supporting surfaces of each member 93 ever horizontally.

In the form of FIG. 6, a single radius arm 95 is pivoted at 97 within a slot 99 of each arm 101 of a coat hanger, the other end being pivoted at 103 to a pin fixed in the inward wings 105 of two identical U-shaped sheet metal trouser-supporting members 107. The pin forming the pivot 103 is fixed in these wings 105 so as to hold them in closely spaced and parallel relation and without relative rotation. With the point of attachement of the radius arm at 103 located in the outward upper corners of wings 105, and with one cuff of the trousers hung on each outer wing 109, the transverse component of force derived from the descent of the members 107 and the downward defiection thereby of the radius arms aided by the weight of the trousers resting on the top edges of wings 107, holds the vertical outward surfaces 111 of the outer wings in the vertical crease at each end of the cuffs in conformity with such crease at each end of the cud causes the top supporting surfaces of the two wings within a cuff to stay in substantial alignment with each other and thus with the transverse crease within the cuff.

While I have illustrated and described certain forms in which the invention may be embodied, I am aware that many modifications may be made therein by any person skilled in the art, without departing from the scope of the invention as expressed in the claims. Therefore, I do not wish to be limited to the particular forms shown, or to the details of construction thereof, but what I do claim is:

1. A garment hanger for trousers having a pair of cuffs with horizontal and vertical creases in each cuff having in combination suspending means, radius arms each pivotally connected thereto at one of their ends, means having rectilinear surfaces to engage the horizontal and vertical creases within a :fold of each cuff and respectively supported by the other ends of the radius arms, and means to maintain the rectilinear surfaces en aging the creases within such fold in longitudinal alignment with each other and in conformity with the creases.

2. A garment hanger for trousers having a pair of cuffs with horizontal and vertical creases in each cuff having in combination relatively movable rectilinear means having surfaces to engage the horizontal and vertical creases within a fold of each cuff and there support the latter, toggle means to thrust such means apart and actuated by the weight of the trousers, supporting means for the toggle means, and means to maintain the crease-engaging surfaces within such fold in longitudinal alignment with each other.

3. The combination according to claim 2 in which portions of the rectilinear means are interconnected in mutually engaging telescopic relation.

4. A garment hanger for trousers having a pair of cuffs with horizontal and vertical creases in each cufi having in combination suspending means, radius arms pivotally connected thereto, relatively spaced members having rectilinear garment-supporting surfaces to engage the horizontal and vertical creases of each cuff and pivotally mounted on and supported from the suspending means by the radius arms, and means apart from the radius arms maintaining the garment-supporting surfaces in alignment wih each other at all angular relations of the radius arms to each other.

5. A garment hanger for trousers having a pair of cuffs with horizontal and vertical creases in each cuff having in combination suspending means, radius arms pivotally connected thereto, relatively spaced members having rectilinear garment-supporting surfaces to engage the horizontal and vertical creases of each cuff and pivotally mounted on and supported from the suspending means by the radius arms, and additional means interconnecting the garment-supporting surfaces and holding them in longitudinal alignment with each other irrespective of their relative spaced relation.

6. A garment hanger for trousers having a pair of cuffs with horizontal and vertical creases in each cuff having in combination suspending means, radius arms pivotally connected thereto, relatively spaced members having rectilinear garment-supporting surfaces to engage the horizontal and vertical creases of each cufi and pivotally mounted on and supported from the suspending means by the radius arms, and means telescopically interconnecting the garment-supporting surfaces to hold them ever in relative longitudinal alignment.

7. A garment hanger for trousers having a pair of cuffs with horizontal and vertical creases in each cuff having in combination suspending means, radius arms pivotally connected thereto, relatively spaced members having rectilinear garment-supporting surfaces to engage the horizontal and vertical creases of each cuff and pivotally mounted on and supported from the suspending means by the radius arms, the garment-supporting surfaces respectively having extensions rigid therewith which are mutually telescopically interconnected and hold the garment-supporting surfaces ever in relative longitudinal alignment.

8. A garment hanger for trousers having a pair of cuffs with horizontal and vertical creases in each cuff having in combination suspending means, radius arms pivotally connected thereto, relatively spaced members having rectilinear garment-supporting surfaces to engage the horizontal and vertical creases of each cuff and pivotally mounted on and supported from the suspending means by the radius arms, the garment-supporting surfaces respectively having extensions rigid therewith which are ever in parallel and mutually slidable relation and hold the garment-supporting surfaces ever in relative longitudinal alignment.

9. A garment hanger for trousers having a pair of cuffs with horizontal and vertical creases in each cuff having in combination suspending means, radius arms pivotally connected thereto, relatively spaced members having rectilinear garment-supporting surfaces and pivotally mounted on and supported by the radius arms, the garment-supporting surfaces respectively having extensions rigid therewith and a free end of each extension having an integral eye formed thereon to maintain said extensions in overlapping slidable and parallel relation.

10. A garment hanger for trousers having a pair of cuffs with horizontal and vertical creases in each cuff having in combination suspending means two members each comprising a continuous length of wire bent reversely to form parallel inverted U-shaped portions to engage the horizontal and vertical creases of each cuff and a transversely extending intervening horizontal portion maintaining these portions in spaced relation, and parallel end portions extending horizontally from the U-shaped portions, the said end portions of each member having 7 integral eyes and overlapping the proximate end portions of the other member and being connected thereto in telescoping manner by such integral eyes encircling the contiguous length of the proximate end portions, and toggle means pivotally connected to the suspending means and the said members to elongate the hanger.

References Cited 7 UNITED STATES PATENTS 872,100 11/1907 Wood 223-89 1,897,078 2/1933 Sjowall 223-95 2,420,885 5/1947 Kjeldsen 22388 2,423,782 7/ 1947 Lacourse 22391 V 8 V 1/1950 French 223-95 11/1950 Rowan 223-35 6/1958 Sherman 1 1 223 95 9/1958 Roggentin 223-95 *8/1960 Brewer 223-88 FOREIGN PATENTS 2/ 1960 Switzerland.

10 JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner.

DAVID J. WILLIAMOWSKY, Examiner. G. H. KRIZMANICH, Assistant Examiner.

Metzner 22395- 

1. A GARMENT HANGER FOR TROUSERS HAVING A PAIR OF CUFFS WITH HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL CREASES IN EACH CUFF HAVING IN COMBINATION SUSPENDING MEANS, RADIUS ARMS EACH PIVOTALLY CONNECTED THERETO AT ONE OF THEIR ENDS, MEANS HAVING RECTILINEAR SURFACES TO ENGAGE THE HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL CREASES WITHIN A FOLD OF EACH CUFF AND RESPECTIVELY SUPPORTED BY THE OTHER ENDS OF THE RADIUS ARMS, AND MEANS TO MAINTAIN THE RECTILINEAR SURFACES ENGAGING THE CREASES WITHIN SUCH FOLD IN LONGITUDINAL ALIGNMENT WITH EACH OTHER AND IN CONFORMITY WITH THE CREASES. 